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Pneumonia Medical Negligence Compensation
Thousands of clinical compensation claims are initiated every year in the United Kingdom by medical negligence solicitors on behalf of people from all walks of life. A multitude of operations and procedures are executed successfully however a small percentage do go wrong, laying the grounds for medical negligence solicitors to take legal action in order to claim compensation. Both legal aid and the no win no fee scheme are available to pursue medical negligence compensation claims.
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Pneumonia is an inflammation and infection of the lungs caused by certain pathogenic bacteria, fungi or viruses. Even parasites can cause inflammation of the lungs and symptoms of pneumonia. It is a self limited condition, especially with antibiotics or antifungal-type medication, but is worse and more life threatening in the elderly or people over the age of 65. It can be a mild condition or a very severe infection that is resistant to most treatments.
The symptoms of acute pneumonia vary depending on the type of infection and on the individual's lungs as a baseline. People with ongoing lung disease like COPD or chronic bronchitis have worsened symptoms than those with an underlying set of normal lungs. Typical signs and symptoms of acute pneumonia are fever, shortness of breath, cough, shaking chills, sweating, pleuritic (sharp) chest pain, fatigue, muscle aches and headache. Interestingly, it's the young people that have more symptoms of pneumonia than the elderly. Older adults can often have a lower than normal temperature instead of a fever.
When pathogenic invading organisms pass into the lungs, your immune system kicks in. White blood cells enter the lungs to fight off the pathogens. Immune system proteins also get in on the game. Your air sacs become inflamed with pus and proteins so that you have difficulty breathing and a cough, trying to cough up the phlegm and pus.
There are several types of pneumonia. These include community acquired pneumonia that relatively healthy people not in a hospital can get. The most common cause is Streptococcus, followed by Mycoplasma pneumonia or walking pneumonia. Hospital acquired pneumonia happens after you have been in a hospital as a patient for at least 48 hours. You may have a weakened immune system because of whatever it is that brought you to the hospital or the bacteria found in the hospital may just be too strong. Gastroesophageal reflux can contribute to getting this type of pneumonia because acid travels up the esophagus when you're reclining and the acid gets into and irritates the lining of the lungs.
Aspiration pneumonia happens when a person cannot swallow well. Food travels down their wind pipe instead of their esophagus and they get pneumonia. These people often have an abnormal gag reflex. Those who drink alcohol to excess can get aspiration pneumonia. People with diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have an abnormal swallowing reflex and get aspiration pneumonia.
Pneumonia is more common in those with AIDS and other immune-deficiency syndromes. Opportunistic infections ensue, caused by bacteria that normally wouldn't affect other people. Even having steroids for too long can contribute to opportunistic pneumonia. Outbreaks of diseases like the H1N1 virus can cause viral pneumonia in many people. Secondary bacterial infections can also occur.
So who gets acute pneumonia? It tends to be people over the age of 65, who have chronic conditions who get acute pneumonia. People with diseases like HIV/AIDS are prone to pneumonia. Those who abuse alcohol and who smoke are at risk for the disease. Those who are hospitalized in an intensive care unit are surrounded by pathogenic bacteria that can cause pneumonia. If you inhale corticosteroid medications or have COPD, you can get pneumonia more often than others. Pollutants and chemical exposure increases the risk of getting the disease. Having surgery or a major trauma predisposes you to acute pneumonia, especially hospital acquired pneumonia.
When the doctor suspects pneumonia, he or she will do a physical examination that may show crackles or rhonchi in the lungs. A chest X-ray will show the pneumonia as white patches on the X-ray. Blood and mucus tests will show the presence of the bacteria on gram stain and will show an elevated white blood cell count.
Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics that help destroy the bacteria. Antiviral medications are used against viral infections. Mycoplasma pneumonia is treated with erythromycin-based antibiotics and may take several weeks to clear up.
If the pneumonia is caused by fungi, antifungal medications are used to treat the disease.